As the international break concludes, Chelsea fans are now looking forward to a relatively easy test against relegation struggler’s and manager-less Aston Villa.
Chelsea travel to the Midlands with nothing to lose as the clubs season was over in March. Guus Hiddink has hinted that he is willing to experiment; which could be that some of the youth and fringe players could make a push for the first team.
With Aston Villa rock bottom of the league, don’t be surprised when there are some random inclusions this weekend.
Here is my Predicted XI:
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois: Many fans are not happy with the comments Courtois made whilst he was out on international duty, so the Belgian has to clear his name by putting in an impressive performance this weekend.
Defence
RB – Cesar Azpilicueta: The versatile full-back is one of the first names on the team sheet with his consistent performances, the Spaniard deserves to play in his natural position, which allows an opportunity for the left-back.
RCB – Branislav Ivanovic: It could be a competition between Ivanovic and Cahill, but the Serbian comes out on top. Despite being shaky out on the flank, Branna puts in solid performances in the centre. Cahill is a very inconsistent players so I believe Ivanovic should start.
LCB – John Terry: Captain, leader legend; not much can be said, the team needs their leader so JT will start.
LB – Abdul Baba Rahman: The Ghanaian has struggled to make a name for himself this season but now that Chelsea’s 2015/16 is not worth fighting for, Hiddink might as well give the talented full-back a deserved opportunity.
Midfield
DM – John Obi Mikel: Â He does his job and is better than Nemanja Matic; nothing else needs to be said.
RCM – Ruben Loftus-Cheek: A player who hasn’t been given the opportunities he’s deserved is Loftus-Cheek, before the international break, the talented midfielder contributed more in 5 minutes than Oscar did the whole game against West Ham. RLC is most suited to the 433 formation so Hiddink must take that into consideration and exploit it.
LCM – Cesc Fabregas: The creative spark in the team, with Oscar being dropped I am confident the Fabregas will remain in the team and orchestrate a Chelsea victory.
Forwards
RW – Willian: The silky Brazilian will play a key role in any sort of victory against Villa. His trickery on the wing will mesmerise the Villa defence and could bag himself a goal.
CF – Bertrand Traore: Was surprisingly dropped against West Ham but will resume this weekend. The Burkina Faso international has made an impact every game he has played so he deserves to start. There is much speculation stating that Pato will get his debut, but I am sure that the Brazilian won’t play from the start.
LW – Kenedy: With Eden Hazard injured and Pedro putting in inconsistent performances, Kenedy deserves to start out on the left as he was a huge threat to West Ham defence last time out and will traumatize Villa’s defence as well.